You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 129 Let's have a proper interrogation.

The Ministry of Works' residence was destroyed by the Eastern Depot, and more than twenty other officials in the court were also wiped out by the Eastern Depot.

This news shocked all the civil and military officials in the imperial court.

Especially Cui Yongyuan, the Minister of Works, was no ordinary court official; he was one of the few ministers in the court and one of the six ministers.

The arrest of such a high-ranking official by the Eastern Depot shocked many people.

Not only were Prime Minister Yuan Bo and the Minister of Revenue shocked and lost their usual composure upon hearing this news.

The same applies to the Minister of Justice.

When the Minister of Justice heard the news that the Eastern Depot had raided the residence of the Minister of Works and arrested the Minister of Works, Cui Yongyuan, he was so shocked that he could hardly sit still.

This news is really too sudden.

The sudden arrival caught the Minister of Justice completely off guard.

The Minister of Justice knew that once Cui Yongyuan was arrested by the Eastern Depot, it would be difficult for him to get out unscathed.

It wasn't that the Minister of Justice was worried about Cui Yongyuan's life or death, but rather that he was worried that Cui Yongyuan might say something he shouldn't.

At that time, even he, the Minister of Justice, will not be able to escape the calamity.

……

Zongren Mansion.

When Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, heard this news, he was also shocked.

King Zhou Xian never expected that Emperor Zhou Chen would suddenly order the Eastern Depot to arrest Cui Yongyuan, the Minister of Works, and also eliminate the influence of the Cui family of Boling in the court.

Isn't Zhou Chen afraid of provoking a backlash from the Cui family of Boling?
After his initial shock, Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, became serious.

Others may not know how influential the Cui family of Boling was in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian knew it very well.

The seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty are not just empty words; they are truly powerful forces that can cause the Great Zhou Dynasty to tremble.

The Eighth Prince, Zhou Xian, was somewhat worried that Zhou Chen's eagerness to eliminate the power of the aristocratic families would provoke a backlash from them.

At that time, the vast territory of the Great Zhou will be far more than just a small-scale rebellion like those in the four northern states.

However, when Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, thought of the figure who stood proudly on the spot and killed two half-step Celestials with a single halberd when he wiped out the Yellow Heaven Sect rebels in Xi'an Prefecture, the solemn look on his face eased considerably.

With that Flying General who dominates the entire field, they should be able to intimidate the Cui family of Boling.

Little did they know that the Cui family of Boling, who in the eyes of the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian could cause the Great Zhou to tremble with a stomp of their feet, had already disappeared into the long river of history of the Great Zhou.

If Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, knew that Lü Bu had led a large army to wipe out the Cui family, whom he considered a behemoth, one wonders what he would think.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat on the dragon throne, intently looking at a list of officials in his hands.

Standing below is Du Ruhui.

Now that Zhou Chen has such a talented and virtuous official as Du Ruhui, who has already been invited to the Lingyan Pavilion, he will naturally consult with Du Ruhui about matters such as the extermination of court officials like Cui Yongyuan.

Du Ruhui did not disappoint Zhou Chen; the suggestions he offered saved Zhou Chen a lot of trouble.

After reviewing the list of officials in his hand, Zhou Chen looked up at Du Ruhui standing below and said, "Keming, let's proceed with these reserve officials according to your suggestion!"

"However, the number of these reserve officials is still too small."

"This is an urgent memorial that Fang Xuanling just sent from the Northwest today. Take a look."

As Zhou Chen spoke, he picked up a memorial from the side and had the eunuchs hand it to Du Ruhui below.

This was delivered directly to the Hall of Mental Cultivation by a messenger today, and Zhou Chen has already seen it.

Zhou Chen was having a headache over what Fang Xuanling had reported.

The four northern states have been thoroughly cleaned up, but a host of troubles are yet to come.

After receiving Fang Xuanling's urgent memorial, Du Ruhui opened it and began to read it.

After Du Ruhui finished reading Fang Xuanling's urgent memorial, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Your Majesty, so many local officials in the four northern prefectures have been purged, leaving too many vacancies."

"Although the imperial court has many candidates for official positions, most of them come from aristocratic and wealthy families, and there are not many from poor families."

"Furthermore, the four northern states have just experienced turmoil and are now facing a severe drought. To restore stability to the four northern states, we need capable officials with good reputations."

"But with such a large vacancy, there aren't many reserve officials who can meet these requirements."

Du Ruhui frowned and spoke to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

Zhou Chen nodded; Du Ruhui was right.

The four northern states have just experienced turmoil and natural disasters. If the officials filling the vacancies are not capable, it will be very difficult to restore the livelihood of the people in the four northern states as soon as possible.

It's possible that even the situation in the four northern states won't be stable.

Therefore, the appointment of local officials in the four northern states must be done with great care.

There were many candidates for the imperial court, but unfortunately most of them were either from powerful and influential families or were protégés of such families.

Putting aside their abilities and whether they are incompetent or not, Zhou Chen is hesitant to appoint them easily due to their connections with powerful families.

Zhou Chen didn't want to just purge the power of a group of powerful families and then hand it over to a new group of powerful families and influential people.

Isn't that just asking for trouble?

Zhou Chen glanced at Du Ruhui and said, "I know all this, but the vacancies in the four northern states must be filled as soon as possible, otherwise the situation in the four northern states will not be stable."

"Kemin, I'm leaving this matter to you."

"The reserve officials you have selected now, apart from those who will fill vacancies in the court, should all be sent to the Northwest to find Fang Xuanling immediately."

"Let's first solve Fang Xuanling's urgent problem."

"Kemin, you need to quickly select the number of local officials that Fang Xuanling needs to fill the vacancies. This matter cannot be delayed."

Zhou Chen looked at Fang Xuanling and said seriously.

The rebellion in the four northern states has been quelled, and the local officials and powerful families in those states have been purged.

But the most important thing is the governance of people's livelihood in the four northern states.

Zhou Chen didn't want to see the four northern states achieve their initial goals, but then encounter problems with the governance of people's livelihoods.

Upon hearing Zhou Chen's words, Du Ruhui immediately bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

This matter is neither particularly difficult nor particularly easy.

However, the Great Zhou court has many reserve officials, and it is still possible to select some capable people from among them.

In Du Ruhui's view, after this incident involving the Cui family of Boling, some of the powerful and influential families will see the situation more clearly.

After returning the list of officials to Fang Xuanling, Zhou Chen waved his hand and said, "Go!"

"Cui Yongyuan and his gang should have been taken down by Cao Zheng and Cao Zhengchun by now. The rest is up to you."

Don't be fooled by the fact that Cui Yongyuan and his associates were taken down by Cao Zhengchun, and their families were exterminated.

Taking down so many officials doesn't mean that it's enough to just arrest them and confiscate their property.

Many things need to be finished off.

"My minister retire."

Du Ruhui bowed and withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Just a few minutes after Du Ruhui left, Cao Zhengchun returned to the Yangxin Hall to report back.

"Your Majesty, Cui Yongyuan, Li Hui, and twenty-two other officials have all been arrested by the Eastern Depot and imprisoned in the Imperial Prison."

"Not a single one escaped."

"The Imperial Guards are currently confiscating their mansions and property."

After entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Cao Zhengchun bowed and reported.

"Nothing went wrong, right?" Zhou Chen asked.

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun immediately shook his head; "No, everything went smoothly."

"However, eight officials resisted fiercely, and the Imperial Guards failed to capture them all," Cao Zhengchun said after a moment's hesitation.

Although Zhou Chen did not say he wanted them alive, Cao Zhengchun knew that, for these captured court officials, living people were obviously much more useful than corpses.

Zhou Chen wasn't too concerned about not being able to capture the eight officials alive.

Having other survivors is enough.

Zhou Chen nodded; "That's good."

"Now that we've taken them down, let's interrogate them properly, especially Cui Yongyuan. We need to get him to talk."

"I want to know how much the Cui family was involved in the upheaval in the four northwestern prefectures, and who else was implicated."

"I do not believe that only the mere Cui family of Boling would dare to plot against the Grand Tutor."

Zhou Chen glanced at Cao Zhengchun and said.

As the emperor, Zhou Chen sometimes doesn't need evidence to exercise his tyrannical power.

But Zhou Chen still didn't want to be a muddle-headed emperor.

He wanted to see just how much the Cui family of Boling had been involved in the previous upheaval in the four northwestern prefectures, and what other people or powerful families might be implicated.

"This old servant obeys the decree," Cao Zhengchun immediately bowed and said.

"Has there been any news from Lü Bu's side?"

Zhou Chen asked again.

"Not yet." Cao Zhengchun shook his head.

Not yet?

Zhou Chen's gaze drifted, and he fell silent.

Zhou Chen didn't know whether Lü Bu had wiped out the Cui family of Boling.

Although Zhou Chen had absolute confidence in Lü Bu, he also knew that a powerful family like the Cui family of Boling, one of the seven great families, was not so easy to deal with.

No one knows what kind of heritage a wealthy family with a long history like this might possess.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Chen waved his hand.

Then, Cao Zhengchun quietly withdrew.

……

the next day.

Early in the morning.

Outside the Golden Palace, civil and military officials were already waiting for the morning court session.

Compared to the previous days, the atmosphere among the civil and military officials was somewhat somber today. No one was chatting in groups of two or three anymore; everyone stood quietly in their respective places.

Clearly, the incident yesterday, in which Minister of Works Cui Yongyuan and more than twenty other officials were subjected to the confiscation of their property and extermination by the Eastern Depot, had a significant impact on these civil and military officials.

After glancing at Du Ruhui, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, the Marquis of Weiwu, and the Minister of War all walked towards Du Ruhui.

"Minister Du."

After the three of them, including the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, came over, they greeted Du Ruhui.

Du Ruhui also returned the greetings to the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, the Marquis of Weiwu, and the Minister of War.

The Eighth Prince, Zhou Xian, looked at Du Ruhui and said, "Minister Du, yesterday the Minister of Works, Cui Yongyuan, and more than twenty officials had their homes ransacked by the Eastern Depot. Does Minister Du know what happened?"

Du Ruhui shook his head; "The Eastern Depot reports directly to the Emperor, how could I possibly know the inside story?"

Du Ruhui said.

How could a wise man like Du Ruhui not guess what the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and the others wanted to ask?

However, Du Ruhui did not intend to say more.

Du Ruhui deeply understood a principle: one can do anything, but one must keep one's mouth shut.

The three men—Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, Marquis Weiwu, and the Minister of War—all gave Du Ruhui a deep look. They couldn't believe that Du Ruhui was unaware of the inside story.

You should know that Du Ruhui spent a long time in the palace yesterday.

However, since Du Ruhui was unwilling to say more, they couldn't ask any further questions.

"squeak……"

The doors of the Golden Palace were wide open.

The morning court begins.

Civil and military officials entered the Golden Palace in turn.

"Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor."

After Zhou Chen sat on the dragon throne, all the officials knelt down and shouted in unison.

Zhou Chen looked down at the officials below; "All of you, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The officials stood up.

"When there is something going on, we will start, and when there is nothing going on, we will retreat."

Cao Zhengchun's sharp voice rang out.

All the officials stood silently in the Golden Palace, as if they had agreed beforehand that no one intended to step forward and present an audience today.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has something to report."

While the civil and military officials remained silent, Prime Minister Yuan Bo stepped forward and spoke.

"What matter does the Prime Minister wish to report?"

Zhou Chen glanced at Prime Minister Yuan Bo and asked indifferently.

"Your Majesty, yesterday the Minister of Works and more than twenty other court officials had their homes ransacked by the Eastern Depot."

"As the prime minister, I am in charge of all officials, yet I know nothing about this matter."

"Your Majesty, please allow this old minister to inquire with Eunuch Cao about the reason for arresting so many court officials and confiscating their property."

Prime Minister Yuan Bo cupped his hands and said.

As the prime minister, Yuan Bo was in charge of all officials and one of the ministers assisting the state. He certainly had the right to ask Cao Zhengchun the reason.

This is perfectly legitimate.

After hearing Prime Minister Yuan Bo's words, Zhou Chen did not reply, but instead looked at the civil and military officials; "I believe that all of you ministers, like the Prime Minister, want to know why Cui Yongyuan and the others were convicted!"

"Since all of you ministers are eager to know, Cao Zhengchun, then you may speak."

Zhou Chen glanced at Cao Zhengchun and said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cao Zhengchun stepped forward in response, giving the assembled officials a sinister glance, and said, "According to the investigation by the Eastern Depot, the Cui family of Boling colluded with the Yellow Heaven Sect rebels, plotted to murder Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, and incited Prince Xiaoyao Zhou Qian to raise the banner of rebellion. Cui Yongyuan, as the Minister of Works, was corrupt and perverted the law..."

A long list of charges was read out of Cao Zhengchun's mouth.

The faces of all the officials who heard this changed drastically.

what?
The Cui family of Boling actually colluded with the Yellow Heaven Sect to murder Grand Tutor Wen Zhong.
Grand Tutor Wen Zhong was murdered by the Cui family of Boling.
Furthermore, was it also the Cui family of Boling who instigated Zhou Qian, the carefree prince, to raise the flag in rebellion?
How can this be?

The civil and military officials were shocked when they heard these appalling charges.

None of them expected that the death of Grand Tutor Wen Zhong in the four northwestern prefectures and the annihilation of the entire 30,000-strong Divine Martial Guard would be the result of a plot by the Cui family of Boling.

This is simply earth-shattering, almost unbelievable.

As for inciting Prince Zhou Qian to raise the banner of rebellion, this terrified all the civil and military officials.

If plotting against the Grand Tutor can be considered internal strife, then inciting the carefree Prince Zhou Qian to raise the banner of rebellion is utterly treasonous.

Any one of these charges would be enough to lead to the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire clan several times over.

(End of this chapter)